Day 1...complete.

We arrived safely in London this afternoon and struggled to get ourselves out of the hotel room after check in. To combat inevitable jet lag, we decided to enjoy our first night here with a palace, dinner and yes, Starbucks.

We toured Kensington Palace which unfortunately was a bit disappointing. Not much to see and expensive to boot. I was looking forward to the Princess Di collection and it did not do her justice! Anyhow, we just finished a yummy meal at a burger place we stumbled upon during our last visit. Nothing says England like french fries, onion rings and a portabello burger!

Turning in early tonight and getting an early start to the day tomorrow, beginning at the London Yelp office!

Leaving on a jet plane

We are at Sky Harbor waiting for our departure to London. Ready for a good night's sleep and to get this party started Euro style!

Growing Up

On Saturday, Dexter officially graduated from his first round of training courses (best in class if you ask me.) We are very proud parents.

The Eye of the Beholder

I'm sure the upgraded quality in photos on here lately has not gone unnoticed. To answer that burning question, no--I have not become a professional photographer. However, my amazingly talented (and smokin' hot) husband is superb with a camera and has been willing to be the official photographer for our little blog. Lucky me :)

The man at work.

Always Save Room for Dessert

As many of you already know, Steve and I were given a Kitchenaid mixer for Christmas this year. My Grandma Marlys, who knows me all too well, has officially and single-handedly been able to cross something quite important off of my bucket list. Before you roll your eyes at me and scoff at how ridiculous this sounds, allow me to justify my sentiment about this wonderful appliance that is now in our home.

Many of my fondest memories as a young girl, a teen and now a grown up (if you can call me that!) were in the kitchen. While I feel fairly apt in the kitchen, I know my confidence has always exceeded my actual skill and this surely comes from my parent's consistent, overwhelming and gracious compliments of my culinary skill. Even when I ruined a meal or set a smoke detector off, it was a learning experience and nothing to fret about.

Example numero uno. Many years ago, I was entrusted with making the family pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. This is a large responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. Usually it goes just fine and dandy. Three years ago, I made 4 pies to stretch across both of our family's turkey tables. It was with horror that I realized right before they were served that this lady forgot to put the sugar in the pies. The SUGAR, people. I was so upset--Thanksgiving was surely ruined. My dad, who is the least picky eater I have ever known, quickly plopped a huge dollop of whipped cream on top of a slice and announced that it was actually pretty good with the sugary sweet Cool Whip to finish it off. Nice save, Dad.

Example numero dos. I couldn't have been more than 13 and we were in Minnesota for Christmas. It is Purdy family tradition to have Swedish meatballs for Christmas Eve dinner, a staple that is perfect every single year. I was helping my mom in my Grandma's kitchen as we bustled away getting everything ready. My Grandma allowed me to use her Kitchenaid (which I think she has owned since before I was born) and I started mixing away. Again...horror quickly struck when I realized that after putting all that ground beef in the mixer, I had failed to remove the thin paper that lines the bottom of meat packaging. It was finely torn to shreds, coating the raw beef mixture before me. Embarrassed, I told my Mom what happened and she grabbed the mixing bowl. pulled up a couple of chairs and painstakingly went through that batch with me until every last bit of paper was gone. It was a "thanks Mom for saving the day" moment and I'll never forget it.

So those are the mistakes. The things that we can all laugh about later. Moreover, there are plenty of good memories and perfectly cooked meals that were made with my parents in our kitchen, many of them using my Mom's Kitchenaid which has always been placed carefully and practically in her kitchen. Those Swedish meatballs I mentioned earlier are a heartbreaker. I loved those little slow cooked morsels of beefy goodness and think of it as one of the few things I truly miss since giving up meat. Even now, when preparing for a big dinner, it is a family event. Dad's usually the pro at prep work, Mom focuses on the stovetop, Erin tries her best (love you, sister), Steve and Ron are eager to volunteer their services as taste testers and me, frantic and unorganized--but also, completely comfortable and at ease.

Hopefully this gives the world a little insight into the madness within (especially when it comes to cooking) and why this gift is so important and was thought of with such love. Thank you, Gram for this wonderful addition to our home. We will love it as long as her little motor keeps purring! :)

The first treat I made with the mixer is a Pletkovich family favorite. The recipe belongs to my Aunt Mary and I know our bellies are thankful to her for sharing it! From our (now green) kitchen to yours!

My new child (she has yet to be named)

Black Bottom Cupcakes

For chocolate batter:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For filling:
1-8 oz package cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1-8 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with muffin tins or papers.

Add cream cheese, egg and sugar to mixer. Beat on medium speed until well mixed. Gently fold in chocolate chips by hand. Set aside.

Combine all batter ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Spoon chocolate batter into tins filling only half way.

Spoon a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling into the middle of each tin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes in pan then remove and place on cooling rack. Enjoy slightly warm or at room temperature.

Soup, Glorious Soup.

As many of you know, I can eat soup no matter what the temperature outside may be. Unfortunately, my husband does not share my passion particularly when we are in the middle of an Arizona summer. Thankfully for me, it FINALLY feels like December here in Phoenix and that means, soup's on! One of our favorites is Beer Cheese soup, a recipe my parents made for my sister and I growing up. Warning: This recipe is not for the faint of heart especially if you have an aversion to butter, cheese and all things awful for your arteries. From our kitchen to yours.

Beer Cheese Soup

4 cups vegetable broth

1 medium onion, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup beer (I use Fat Tire or Blue Moon)

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (better quality cheese seems to do well in this recipe)

Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a soup pot. Add onion, celery and carrot and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Whisk often on medium heat for 5 minutes or until flour is cooked through. Stir beer into vegetable/broth mixture and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Add roux to cooked vegetables/broth and let heat through. This should thicken your soup. Last but not least, slowly add the cheese in handfuls mixing constantly so you don't get any clumps. Enjoy with plain popcorn sprinkled on top (how my parents serve it) or with a crusty piece of bread. Enjoy!

If you're in the mood to throw all caution to the wind, feel free to add a couple of chopped potatoes when boiling your vegetables. It will make your soup a hearty and starchy concoction of goodness. 

Just Like Grandma Made

 One of the unfortunate things about being vegetarian is having to give up certain family favorite foods. Up until a year ago, Steve and I would frequently request my Grandma Iris to make her famous meatloaf when we would drop by for dinner. When meat became a no-no for us, shock set in. What were we supposed to do without that circa 1950's, feel good comfort food?

Steve Mason to the rescue.

Last night, my wonderful husband made a delicious lentil loaf for us. Before you start thinking to yourself how odd this sounds, let me assure you that this was an excellent meal that was reminiscent of real meatloaf with a veggie kick :) I dare you to try it! This recipe is brought to you by theveganstoner.com

I also have to add that Steve not only cooked but cleaned the kitchen too...am I spoiled much?